Be Free, Be You

I pulled into Artie’s driveway and sucked in a breath of fresh air as I stepped out of the car. As celebration for me auditioning by myself Artie invited me over to hangout and eat pizza. I knew I either wouldn’t eat the pizza at all, or I’d get rid of it later, but the look on his face when he had asked me, well I couldn't say no.

I strolled in, not even bothering to knock, to find myself being hugged by his mom and welcomed with a head nod and a smile from hi dad. “He’s in the den, Val.” His father said.

I smiled and waved to them as I made my way over to the room. I rounded the corner and reached the doorway to find him fumbling with the remote, trying to get the DVD menu on screen. “You realize that’s the wrong remote right?”

He turned and was about to give a witty retort but was cut off by a quick kiss and me handing him the correct remote control. With laughter he thanked me and motioned to the sofa, I took a seat as he got out tonight’s movie choices.

“So we’ve got Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Sherlock Holmes, or Just Go With It.” He said as he held up the DVD’s.

“Definitely the last choice, Adam Sandler is hilarious.”

A little past the three quarter of the way through mark the pizza guy arrived and Artie went to go and get it. On his way back he stopped a couple of feet away and looked at me with a concerned expression on his face. “Val, you were amazing today and I can see that you’re trying to focus on the movie, but what’s bothering you?” Artie asked as he wheeled himself closer to me with the box of pizza in his lap.

I shook my head, paused the movie and took the box from him. “Nothing, I’m fine. What kind is it?”

He took the box back from me, knowing that I was trying to use the pizza as a topic diversion. “I can see that something is wrong, tell me.”

I looked at him sadly and pulled on my hair, something I found myself doing more and more often. “Steph and Puckerman seem to be having a thing.” I said with a frown.

He raised his brow at me and opened the box, the smell of cheese hit me like a tidal wave. “I know, you’ve told me, but what’s the problem... besides what you’ve already told me.”

I sighed again before taking the piece Artie offered me and taking an unladylike bite. “I hate him, that’s what’s the problem.”

“You know you’ve never told me why that is,” he stated simply as he took an unmannered bite of his own slice.

I shook my head, “No, I haven’t even told Steph why.”

This peaked his interest and he rolled himself directly in front of me. “What happened? Valarie what did he do to you?” The air in the room grew tense as I looked into his eyes with tears forming in the corners of my own, I put my pizza down and tried to focus on my empty hands.

In a choked voice I managed to squeeze out, “I just hate him okay?”

Artie put down his pizza too and took my face in his hands, forcing me to look back into his eyes. “Please, tell me.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to get a hold of myself. “Fine.” I inhaled and exhaled deeply as Artie leaned back and got comfy in his chair. “Well it all started really when we were in like, first grade.”

He gave me an incredulous look, “First grade? Did he steal the purple crayon?”

I glared at him, “Do you want to hear it or not?” When he put his hands up in surrender and began again to eat his pizza slice. “We were having snack time and we were given little water bottles with whatever crappy food they gave us. Well stupid Puckerman thought it would be funny to empty his all over my crotch and scream that I wet myself.”

“Are you serious?” Artie tried to hold back his laughter. “You hate him for that?”

I glared at him again and crossed my arms, “Damnit, if you keep laughing at me I’ll just leave!” When Artie noticed the seriousness and hurt flashing in my eyes he instantly got in laughter in check and apologized. “Anyway, so then all through elementary school kids made fun of me, about that, and I wasn’t a thin kid back then. There was a lot to make fun of. Tnen in the seventh grade he thought it would be hilarious to ask me out to a date at lunchtime only to spill water on me again and do the same thing.” I could feel the anger inside of me bubble and Artie took my hands in his own, silently asking me to go on. “I was constantly teased. I lost all of my friends, I was called names, I got water splashed on me as a joke all of the time, called a cow... It was horrible.” I held back tears as I thought of the terrible memories. “I wouldn’t wish that kind of treatment on anyone, I mean, I know at school I’m not a nice person, but even the Cheerios are nice compared to how those kids treated me back then. Whatever, so anyway then high school came around and I became friends with Jenna and lost a lot of weight and we joined Cheerios together.

Once you join Cheerios no one messes with you, Artie. You’re popular, you’re perfect, no one can touch you. I was finally left alone and I loved it. I was invited to parties and had friends again. At one of the parties Jenna and I went to just about everyone got drunk, except for me because I can’t hold alcohol with my.. problem..” I hesitated a second as my bulimia came up but I quickly recovered, “Puckerman was there, he tried to hook up with me but once he realized I was sober enough to say no he moved to Jenna. She was wasted and slept with him. Puckerman never talked to her again, and she really liked him, he broke her heart. My best friend.” I felt myself get choked up again but I kept talking. “Steph doesn’t know about Jenna, or the grade school bullying. I hid all of that from her, she’s always looked up to me. I had to be strong for her. I’ve always had to be strong for her, protect her. Which is why she can’t date that bastard Puckerman. I won’t let it happen.”

He was silent for a few moments, he dropped his pizza slice and without a word pulled me into him and kissed me with everything he had. My mind got fuzzy with the feelings he gave me with that kiss; it almost felt like a goodbye kiss and my body filled with panic. When he pulled away, he breathed out, “I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through that.”

I swallowed the pain and kissed him back, sending all my passion and feelings his way. “Please, don’t treat me differently, don’t leave.”

His hands grabbed hold of my waist and pulled me onto his lap as he simultaneously put his chair on it brakes. “I promise you, I’m not going anywhere.” I kissed him again and held onto his shoulders for dear life. The feelings this boy gave me were beyond any normal human emotion;he made my body vibrate with happiness whenever he was within eyesight, he made a smile creep on my face whenever he looked my way, he made me feel.

“Artie,” I breathed out between our heated kisses. “Artie, Artie, stop.” He reluctantly pulled his lips from my own and looked into my eyes. “I-I...”

A blush spread across my cheeks and a small smile crept onto his. “You too, Valarie.”

I let a big smile spread across my cheeks as I dove in for a quick kiss, “I love you.” He laughed at the stupid grin that was now taking residence on my face and kissed me back.

“I love you.”